Former Oklahoma Sooners starter is set to show Brent Venables and company what they’re truly missing out on
The Oklahoma Sooners and former quarterback Michael Hawkins parted ways, and now he’s getting ready to start for West Virginia.
The Oklahoma Sooners parted ways with quarterback Michael Hawkins this past offseason, and Hawkins has landed on his feet. According to Pete Nakos of On3, West Virginia is expected to name Oklahoma transfer Michael Hawkins its starting quarterback.
The former Sooners signal-caller will get the opportunity he wanted in Morgantown, and the Big 12 could be the perfect stage for him to thrive. West Virginia feels like a fun team to watch this year. Hawkins will have his brother, cornerback Malik Hawkins, on the roster alongside some other players who could make the Mountaineers entertaining.
Whether they end up being a good football team remains to be seen. They’re playing in the Big 12, though, and Hawkins has the potential and the talent to win them a lot of games in that conference.
Was Hawkins going to do that in the SEC?
A lot of the Oklahoma fan base wanted Hawkins to have a consistent shot at starting in Norman. Many felt that if he got that opportunity, he could always perform well enough to win football games. The talent was never in question. He has a pretty good arm and can get it down the field. He’s made some impressive throws throughout his college career, even though that career is still pretty short.
The consistency, however, was the issue. Ball placement wasn’t always great. The mental side of knowing where to put the ball and reading what the defense was doing wasn’t always there. But the raw athletic ability? Amazing. Hawkins can run as well as any quarterback in college football, and that’s not a hot take. The quickness, the speed, the side-to-side agility he possesses are rare. He also showed pretty good pocket awareness during his time at Oklahoma, and he took a beating in some of those games.
Sooner fans will remember the games from two years ago when Hawkins was a starter for a significant stretch. The Auburn game brought Sooner Magic back to life. He was incredible in other games, too, given the circumstances.
Oklahoma didn’t always have the best team around him. The offensive line wasn’t always great. But Hawkins was better than Jackson Arnold, and at that time, that was all that mattered.
Hawkins gets his shot in the Big 12
Watching Hawkins get a shot to show what he can do will be enjoyable. He won’t face elite SEC defenses every week. The Big 12 provides a setting where Hawkins could show out on a consistent basis, and there will be plenty of Sooner fans tuning in. Some will watch so they can say they were right about him all along.
Others will watch hoping to say everybody else was wrong. Either way, it should be entertaining. Hawkins deserves to be a starting quarterback in Power Four football. West Virginia is giving him that chance.
